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Friday, October 7, 2016

Empower by Ashley Stambaugh

Today, I want to welcome Ashley Stambaugh who is talking about her urban fantasy novel, Empower. It's the third book in the Collide Trilogy. The excerpt looks very interesting! The first in the series is also on sale for the month of October for only $0.99!

You have to have the dark to see the light...

Blurb

Over a month has gone by since Melina won her internal battle
between good and evil. She and the elders have been vigilantly waiting for
Maura and Adelia to enact their plan, but there have been no signs of them
anywhere. Then one day, Melina sees a Noxin demon lurking behind an old
building. As more and more demons start to appear around town, she begins to
worry that their plan may have already been put into play.

While Melina tries to figure out what the demons are up to, she
starts to notice a sudden increase in her negative emotions, which in turn seem
to be amplifying her powers. At first, she likes how strong it makes her feel.
But when she realizes that her newly acquired demon powers are the cause of her
sense of empowerment, she wants nothing to do with it. Even though she has
reversed her demon powers to do good, she still sees them as coming from an
evil source and fears that by using them the evil she fought so hard to
overcome will rise up in her again.

But as the demon activity increases, and the people in her town,
including all the people she cares about the most, start to display strange and
violent behavior, Melina finally understands that if she wants to stop the
demons and help her friends, she must embrace not only the good in her but also
the bad. Because the only way to truly empower herself is by finding a way to
use them together.

Excerpt

She turned to look at the front of her store and saw that the huge
front window had been completely busted in, allowing the chilly winter air to
blow right through the room. The rest of the store wasn’t in any better shape.
Broken glass, splintered wood, and burnt, ripped up books and paper covered the
entire floor. She felt like she should be having déjà vu, seeing as how her
store had been destroyed by Noxin demons before, but there was a difference
this time. She didn’t have her friends to help her pick up the pieces.

Before she was able to get teary-eyed again, she heard footsteps
coming from behind her. She turned around and saw that Walter was back, and he
had Phinneas, Cecil, and Helene with him. They all nodded at Henry, who nodded
back at them, and then they all returned their focus to Melina.

“Hi,” Melina said as she gave them all a slightly confused look.
“What are you all doing here?”

“I thought it was necessary to tell them what’s happening with
you,” Walter said.

Melina pulled her robe a little tighter around her and turned her
gaze down to the floor. She wondered if they were disappointed in her for not
telling any of them sooner.

“Melina,” Phinneas said as he took a step toward her. “None of us
blame you for feeling the way you do. The fear you have of your anger and of
your demon powers is completely valid. But it’s nothing to be afraid of, or
ashamed of. I’ve told you before, not everyone is all good or all bad. We all
have good and evil in us.”

“Yes,” Melina said as she nodded her head. “I remember you saying
that. But then you also said that we just have to choose which one is going to
win, and I chose good.”

“And I’m so glad you did,” Phinneas said. “But just because you
chose good and were able to reverse the demon powers to use them for good,
doesn’t mean that the bad aspects of the demon powers aren’t still a part of
you, too.”

“Melina,” Walter said as he took a step toward her. “To truly
embrace all of your powers, you must accept not only the good aspects of
them but also the bad. I can only imagine how strong it must make you feel when
your emotions amplify your powers, but instead of fighting them and trying to
stop them, feel all of those emotions and use them in a good way. Use them to
empower yourself.” He paused for effect and then continued. “You have become a
force to be reckoned with. You just need to learn to accept them and then
control them.”

Melina’s eyes were filled with tears again. His words reminded her
of what Lee had told her—that she needed to accept all of herself. She knew
they were both right, but she still couldn’t let go of her hesitation and fear.

“But what if it makes me susceptible to being taken over by evil
again?” She bit down on her lip as she stared over at Walter with eyes full of
distress.

He gave her a reassuring smile. “I know you’re scared, but I also
think that you know, deep down, that you’re not going to be taken over by evil
again. This is just how the demon powers are going to work in you. We all
experience negative emotions, Melina. But it's what we do after the emotions
arise that matters. We can act upon those negative feelings and let them
control us, or we can feel them, acknowledge them, but then choose not to
act on them. And instead of letting them control us, use them as motivation for
something good.” He was silent for a moment then said, “You have to have the
dark to see the light.”

Melina sat quietly as his last words sunk in. She had never thought
of it that way, but he was right. She had both light and dark in her, just like
everyone else, but she just needed to make sure that her light always shone
brighter.

About the author

Ashley Stambaugh grew up in a small town in Illinois where she and
her two siblings created some of the best memories playing on their family’s
farm. She stayed in the southern region of the state to attend college where
she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and also met her husband.

Now, she and her husband live in central Illinois and spend their
time creating new memories with their two rambunctious boys. She also enjoys
reading, taking long walks, and finding great bargains. When her sons are a
little bit older, she has a great desire to travel with her family. Oh, and she
also has a slight obsession with chocolate.

When she’s not busy chasing after her two young children or losing
herself in a good book, you can find her curled up on her couch with her
laptop, writing.

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